WhenToBird

Haematopus bachmani · Haematopodidae

When Do Black Oystercatchers Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Black Oystercatcher
Photo: Mara Christensen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Oystercatchers reach Oregon in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early August (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: early August. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 2.3% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.3% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.9% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.5% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 37592 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Oregon that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Curry CountyBest early August · 294 checklists that week, 12,513 in all21%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest mid November · 1307 checklists that week, 66,994 in all18%
  3. Clatsop CountyBest late June · 1269 checklists that week, 44,300 in all17%
  4. Coos CountyBest the second week of July · 473 checklists that week, 24,368 in all13%
  5. Tillamook CountyBest mid June · 1066 checklists that week, 45,809 in all5.2%
  6. Lane CountyBest early February · 3796 checklists that week, 190,610 in all1.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Devil's Punch Bowl State Natural AreaLincoln County, best late November · 49 checklists that week, 1,116 in all91%
  2. Little CreekLincoln County, best late December · 26 checklists that week, 351 in all87%
  3. Neptune State Scenic ViewpointLane County, best the second week of February · 21 checklists that week, 688 in all86%
  4. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural AreaLincoln County, best late December · 35 checklists that week, 1,731 in all86%
  5. Government PointLincoln County, best early May · 108 checklists that week, 3,163 in all83%
  6. Depoe BayLincoln County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 546 in all82%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Black Oystercatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (1.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 50677 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 125347 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 163668 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 148940 checklists11 am: 1.8% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.6% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.3%1.1%1.1%1.3%
February1.2%1.1%0.9%0.9%
March0.9%1.0%1.2%1.2%
April1.0%1.0%1.2%1.5%
May1.5%1.3%1.4%1.2%
June1.2%1.4%1.5%1.9%
July1.9%2.1%2.3%2.3%
August2.3%2.4%1.9%1.5%
September1.7%1.9%1.6%1.4%
October1.3%1.6%1.2%1.4%
November1.4%1.6%1.6%1.5%
December1.3%1.2%1.0%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid July
  • California: year-round, peaks late July
  • Alaska: arrives early November, 17 weeks earlier than Oregon

Common questions

When do Black Oystercatchers arrive in Oregon?
Black Oystercatchers reach Oregon in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early August (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Black Oystercatchers leave Oregon?
Most Black Oystercatchers have left Oregon by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid February.
When is the best time to see a Black Oystercatcher in Oregon?
The Black Oystercatcher is reported most often in early August, on about 2.3% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Black Oystercatchers seen most often?
By county, Curry County, Lincoln County, and Clatsop County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Oystercatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).